Respite
by Black Stormraven
Summary: A bounty hunter's life can get lonely; so can a pirate's. Sometimes they need a break. Post-"Kindred Spirits" in SW Insider #159, pre-Dark Disciple. M for suggestive content, nothing explicit. Asajj Ventress/Lassa Rhayme.


Asajj may have had trust issues, probably always would, but even she had to admit that this kind of closeness was a nice change of pace. Everyone else was to be kept at arm's length, unless your next move was to drive a lightsaber through their heart. That was her main defense mechanism; it had served her well, to a point. But things were different now. Ever since Dooku had turned on her...no, even before that, she realized now, she'd felt adrift somehow. Very little had given her genuine pleasure or joy, and the things that had then no longer applied. She had changed and she wasn't so sure if she liked it.

Admittedly, sharing a bed with someone who wasn't obviously out to kill or use her was not only soothing physically, but spiritually as well. She still didn't wholly trust Lassa Rhayme (a pirate was a pirate, and Asajj had been burned by everyone else she'd known), but something about the woman welcomed her. Neither woman knew each other's stories nor were they willing to volunteer them, but that didn't matter. What did was that something connected them and offered them solace from the hardships of their perceived roles and their professions. Every now and then those burdens became too much for one or the other and they reached out.

Lassa's warmth and softness at her side was a comfort Asajj had craved for days. They didn't have much time, only half a standard day, but they had already gotten what they wanted. The pirate captain had collapsed after only one orgasm, already exhausted from a skirmish earlier in the day yet unable to deny Asajj her company when the bounty hunter had arrived on the _Opportunity._

Asajj looked down at the Pantoran. Her head lay on Asajj's shoulder, long lavender hair sprawling over the latter's chest and stirred slightly by Lassa's gentle breaths. The closeness of her blue skin seemed to make Asajj's pale grey glow in the dim light. Her eyes were closed, but Asajj could clearly see in her mind how they sparkled a bright gold when her emotions ran high, how they could become soft and warm or sharp and cold at a moment's notice, how they turned so dark they were almost bronze when she was overtaken by pleasure. She'd never thought about it much before, but thinking back now, all the people who had ever meant anything to in one way or another (Narec, Talzin, Kenobi, even Dooku to a small degree) had eyes that drew her in. Whether from kindness or playfulness or cold calculation, each of them had ensnared her with their magnetic, powerful eyes (among other things). Lassa was no different in that regard.

What _did_ set her apart, however, was how unafraid she was to express herself, at least to Asajj in private. Her affection, her vulnerability, her desire. She didn't hide behind rhetoric, wasn't chained by the thought that she couldn't be seen as anything less than an unshakeable pillar of strength. Asajj appreciated and relished the sheer honesty the captain entrusted her with, whether she knew she did or not.

Asajj found herself dangerously close to smiling when Lassa let out a low, contented hum. Her cheek shifted against Asajj's shoulder and a smile curved up her full lips. Strong arms tightened around the bounty hunter's waist, dextrous fingers gripping the pale flesh. Asajj laid one hand on the other woman's cheek, the other on her soft hair. These rendezvous never seemed to last long enough, yet Asajj was always gone before Lassa woke. She was never any good at goodbyes, especially when there was real emotion involved. The pirate never seemed too bothered by it; she never said anything about the abrupt departures when next they met, at least.

A small suggestion through the Force kept Lassa from fully waking. Asajj knew her time in the sanctuary of the captain's bunk had come to an end. That didn't stop her from wanting just a few more minutes enveloped in the Pantoran's warmth and scent, however. She pulled Lassa closer, a hand going to the blue leg thrown over hers to draw it further across her, the other gently combing through pale purple locks. _Just a few more minutes..._

Indeed, minutes later saw Asajj fastening the last of her armor to her left shoulder. Lassa hadn't moved when she extricated herself from her embrace to get dressed. Silver eyes softened as Asajj looked at her sometimes-lover, so peaceful, so satisfied in her slumber. Asajj wished (briefly) to always feel the same. But such a life was not for her, not for someone whose sins and failures were stacked so high. The most she could hope for, the most she would allow herself to take, were these small moments she could steal where she could.

A slender finger drew an errant lock of lavender hair from Lassa's neck back over her shoulder. Although blue was normally considered a cool color, her skin was warm and alive under Asajj's lips. Another kiss under her ear, and then one on her cheek. Those were Asajj's farewells, always and only given when Lassa was asleep. This time she received one more: a press of lips on her smooth forehead that lingered just a moment longer than the others.

Asajj warned herself to be careful or she might actually come to truly care for the pirate. She smiled wryly as she pulled away from Lassa and stepped towards the door. It was time for her to go back to Level 1313 and Lassa to return to her crew. There was no room in either of their lives for anything more. Oddly enough, that didn't bother Asajj as much as it probably should have.

Though a part of her wasn't looking forward to returning to reality, she did look forward to the next respite she might have.


End file.
